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Our pick of the range in manual guise, this engine is punchy and flexible enough to offer easy overtaking when you want it, and is low-revving and quiet enough at a motorway cruise. Avoid the six-speed automatic gearbox if you can – it’s an older 'box than the seven-speed auto in other Passats and is a bit slow to respond at times and doesn’t help fuel economy. Also available in the jacked-up, four-wheel-drive Alltrack model, as a manual only; well worth considering given that it's remarkably capable off-road, while also being classier and bigger inside than most of the SUVs it competes with.